TfL to extend congestion charge to EVs

The announcement by Transport for London that electric vehicles will have to pay the £15 daily congestion charge from 25 December next year has drawn a mixed response from industry.

TfL confirmed this week that zero emission vehicles would no longer be exempt from the charge from Christmas Day, 2025.

It is estimated that this will impact upwards of 100,000 EV drivers.

TfL said: “The Congestion Charge’s Cleaner Vehicle Discount was part of our phased scheme to tackle London’s toxic air. Ending the Cleaner Vehicle Discount from 25 December 2025 will maintain the effectiveness of the Congestion Charge, which is in place to manage traffic and congestion in the heart of London.”

Congestion charge

The decision has been criticised by a number of organisations and green air campaign groups, with The AA’s Jack Cousens, head of roads policy, saying: “It is a turkey bone in the throat of EV owners who heeded the call to switch to green vehicles and improve air quality in the capital?”

However, Simon Williams, the RACs head of policy, said:

“This is a somewhat inevitable step as the journey towards zero-emission motoring has progressed considerably since the congestion charge was first introduced, with more than a million electric vehicles now on our roads.

“It was put in place to reduce the number of vehicles using central London roads with a view to improving both air quality and traffic flow. And, now we have the ULEZ directly tackling air quality, it’s probably only fair that this discount comes to an end as all vehicles, regardless of how they are powered, can create congestion.”